THE HEINOUS killing of Matthew Shepard, the University of Wyoming student who was pistol-whipped, tethered to a fence and bashed in the head with the butt of a rifle, is horrid proof that hate crimes against gays are very much a reality.

Yet only 18 states (California is one; Wyoming is not) have hate-crime laws on the books that apply to gays and lesbians.

There can be no justification for excluding sexual orientation on any list of hate crimes. Tragically, it is all too true that gays and lesbians are the targets of violent acts simply because of their sexuality, just as members of ethnic groups and religions are victims because of their color or spiritual beliefs.

According to FBI statistics, more than 1,000 individuals were attacked in 1996 because of their sexual orientation.

In Shepard's name, Congress and state legislatures -- including Wyoming's -- should quickly expand hate-crime laws to include offenses based on sexual orientation.